Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1887-02-17
.oAiL" VS.. JAMES
The Different Way in Which James c
Blaine and His Distinguished Cousin Trea

The Different Way in Which James @.
Blaine and His Distinguished Cousin Treai
the Wage Question.
| Let us call Gail Hamilton as a wit
ness against her distinguished cousin.
James G. Blaine. She might be called
also as witness against herself, but
it will suffice on this occasion to use
her testimony only against the states
man from Maine. In suggesting rem
adies for the unhappy condition of the
working-women of the metropolis, it
has been found that the majority of the
people who have taken an interest in
the matter have inclined to the idea
that if the women would more gener-
ally seek domestic employment they
ilton holds to this view She
also has some other opinions on
this subject, as she does on
nearly every thing else. Never.
while the world lasts says she.
lean you expect to receive twelve dol
lars for work which twelve other
women are willing to do for six dollars.
If you were a man, if you were Il
millionaire, if you were a voter, it
would make no difference. You can
never force your employer to employ
you at twelve dollars if he can hire
some one else to do the same work for
six dollars. You have no right to ex-
pect him to do it. 1t is not greed, or
extortion, or inhumanity in him not to
do it. It is extortion in you to ask him
to do it. If he should undertake it he
would fail in business and You would
be worse off than before, because you
would have no work at all. You would
then be one of the dozens waiting at
no price instead of the one employed
at low price. This law is absolute.
1t applies to the millionaire just as
strongly as to the sewing girl
= How different would Cousin James,
of Maine, talk to the half-staryed sew
ing women of New York, to their sis
tiers who exc out miserable living in
factories and stores, and to the dissat-
isfied laborer generally. Cousin james
would say: Your wages are low be-
cause you are not protected enough.
You must keep the Democrats out of
power. just look ut the condition that
you are now in. 1t is the result of fear
on the part of your employers that the
Democrats will change the tariff laws.
They have unsettled confidence all over
The country. Do you observe the col
pred man in the South? 1t is the inten-
ion of the Democrats to keep him in
ignorance so that they can use him as a
cheap laborer. Where will you be when |
he South begins manufacturing with |
10 hi
you earnp The way to- regulate wages |
s to elect Republicans to office. Some
rascals will tell you that wages are not
affected by law. That is false. You
may think that you have hardships,
out you are mistaken The trouble
With the American woTking-man is
hat he is too we'll Off He is pro-
ected by the tariff, and all the
money that his employers get out of
hat beneffeent scheme goes into his
pockets, Supply and demand have
lothing to do with labou- Vote the
ticket and wages will al
ways be high They are high now, if
-ou only think So"
For the last fifteen years Mr.. Blaine
nd Gail Hamilton have been attempt
ng to convince the American people
hat there is. potency in LEW to raise
Fages. They have made that their
took in trade If they were to be be-
seved all that wars necessary to make
ab0r eontented was to- pass law to
hat effect Supply and demand had
lothing to do with the question. By
living employers monopoly privileges
he working-man. was bound to be
harer in them whether dozen stood
esdy to take his place st half the
wages that he wanted or not. Gail
1amilton's sudden conversion to COM
non sense and common honesty leads
me to hope that the day may not be
ar distant when her celebrated rela-
i've will also abandon demagogy and
urprise his fellow citizens by address,
NC them in words of truth and sober
nSS lLiaona Horn,ITI